o connor



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.

H. OGONNOR. ELECTRIC RAILROAD TRACK CLEANER.

No. 508,743. Patented Nov. 14, 1893.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. OGONNOR. ELECTRIC RAILROAD TRACK CLEANER. No. 508,743.

Patented Nov. 14, 1893.

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ELECTRlC-RAlLROAD-TRACK CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,743, dated November 14, 1 893.

Application filed June 26,1893.

To all whom it nuty concern." 7

Be it known that I, HUGH OCONNQR, of the city of Passaic, in the county'of Pas'saic and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railroad- Track Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a track cleaner for electric railroads,which from its simplicity of construction and ease of operation will greatly facilitate the removal of snow, ice, earth or other obstructions from the tracks of electric railways, and which will also be cheap and durable.

The invention consists of the parts or combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

A spring connecting the swinging shoe arm and lower part of car platform draws the said arm down over the rail so that the reversible shoe stands over the rail diagonally one flange or blade of the reversible shoe passing down on one side of the rail and the opposite flange or blade on the opposite side of the rail as hereinafter more fully described and as shown in the drawings which accompany this specification and are to be taken as a part thereof.

In said drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a car, part sectional, with the reversible shoe at one end of the car and means for operating the same. Fig. 2 is a'plan view showing the device. Fig. 3 is a detail View of. the shoe in perspective. Fig. 4 is adetail of shoe showing a brush in front of the scraper. Fig. 6 is a View of metallic plate a'nd'flan'ges.

In the drawings -A- is the car body; B, the snow plow or fender; G,'the side frames of car; D, the track or rails. A swinging post or arm a, is pivotally secured to the side frames -C on each side of the car, the posts a-being'connected by a cross bar e A tension spring e on each side of the car connects with the cross bar -e*-- which connects the swinging posts or arms a--, each of which springs is secured by a bolt e'-' or other suitable means to the cross. frame beam of car platform. A chain -d is secured to the cross bar e*-- and passes therefrom to a chain roller b'- mounted on a shaft --b which is suitably secured to car frame, and passes thence to a chain drum -f secured near semi No. 478,840. (No model.)

the lower end of the vertical motion shaft Secured to the lower ends of the swinging arms a are reversible shoes provided with an adjustable scraper and brush. The brush and scraper when the arms are lowered cross the rails diagonally or obliquely, so as to pre- Vent the scraper from catching where the rails are joined. On the shoelc is a plate 70 having two flanges or knives ls and 40 A rubber scraper or cleaner 7c extending below the edge of the shoe is se cured thereto by a holding plate 7c and screws or bolts 7t The shoe 7c is secured to the post or arm a by bolts k* and a brush of suitable material is adjustably secured in any suitable manner to said shoe so that it"may be detached if not needed. The flanges or blades 10 and 10 of the reversible shoe may project downwardly on each side of the rail D as shown in Figs 3 and 4 or one flange k may project upward and one flangelo downward on one side of the rail as shown in Fig. 6.

I prefer to construct the shoe as shown in Figs. 6 and 1 so that when the edge of the plate is worn it may be reversed always assuming the position shown in Fig. 1.

The holding plate 7c is placed over the rubber plate so as to prevent the screws 70 from cutting through the rubber plate. The rubber plate is thus securely held between the metallic plate It and the metallic plate k projecting below said plates enough to permit the rubber plate to scrape the top of the rail -D.

This device may be usedto advantage not only in the winter, but all through the year, when necessary on steep grades to dry the rail and prevent the wheels from slipping thus obviating the trouble which is the cause of many accidents. The flange or blade 10 passing on the inside of the rail and close thereto either in winter or summer will clean the inside of the rail, removing mud, dirt or other obstruction. Thebrush can be attached either to the front or back of the shoe. This brush and scraper com bined in the shoe will do away with the necessity of having a man walk the track'with a scraper or brush as the motoneer can so manipulate my device as to lower the shoes when he sees an obstruction or whenever it is necessary to brush, scrape or dry the rail, and whenever it is not necessary they may be raised above and away from the rail. The tension of the spiral spring emay be regulated so as to hold the shoes in contact with the rails as desired. When either the metal plate or the rubber plate -7C3 are worn on one edge they may be reversed. The bolt holes in the rubber plate are oval or elongated so that when the rubber is worn up close to the steel shoes the bolts can be loosened and the rubber lowered down a new distance until they are lowered as far as the bolt holes will permit. The rubber plates may then be reversed and worn down as far as it is again possible to lower them. When the chain dis wound around the chain drum f thus elevating the shoes from the rail the pawl -f is engaged with the ratchet wheel -f secured to the vertical motion shaft -f, the tension springs e being drawn out and the shoes are thus held above and away from the rails until the motorneer wishes to lower them, to do which he has merely to kick the pawl from engagement with the ratchet Wheel when the chain will be released and the springs -e-- will draw the shoes down onto the rails.

The swinging arms a always incline from front to back of the vehicle even when the shoe is in contact with the rail, the chain preventing said arms, as well as the length of the arms themselves, from assuming a perpendicular position.

hen it is not necessary to use my reversible shoe with combined brush and scraper the whole device may be elevated as shown without being in the way or inconvenient in any manner.

Besides being of use for the purposes above stated said shoes may also be used as an extra precaution to throw stones or other objects off the track, in which case the motoneer when going fast or in dark places may lower the shoes to within an inch or half an inch of the rails and said obstructions will then be thrown off the rail with but very little jar or wear to the vehicle.

While my device is specially adapted for use on electric railways it is obvious that my shoes and the means for operating the same may be employed on any kind of railway.

With this description of my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a vehicle, of a swinging arm pivotally secured thereto, a reversible metallic shoe secured to the lower end of said arm and provided with a brush and a rubber scraper, with means for operating the same, all constructed substantially as shown and described and for the purposes specified.

2. A vehicle for railroads in combination with a swinging arm pivotally secured thereto, a metallic shoe secured to the lower end of said arm, a rubber scraper secured between two metallic plates and extending below the lower edges thereof, a tension spring connecting said swinging arm and vehicle, a chain, one end thereof secured to the swinging arm and passing therefrom to and over a chain roller secured to car frame and thence to a chain drum, a vertical motion shaft, a chain drum secured to the lower end thereof below the platform of vehicle, a ratchet wheel secured to said vertical shaft above said platform and a pawl adapted to engage with said ratchetwheel, substantially as shown and described and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination with a vehicle having a swinging arm secured thereto, of a shoe provided with a rubber scraper, a metallic plate on each side of said rubber, one of said plates provided with a downwardly projecting flange or blade on one end and an upwardly projecting flange or blade on the other end, one flange or blade being on one side of said plate and the otheron the opposite side, a spring connecting said arm and vehicle and means for raising and lowering said swinging arm, substantially as shown and described and for the purposes specified.

HUGH OOONNOR.

Witnesses:

MAMIE SENIOR, RICHARD A. H EALY. 

